In Rockford area since: I arrived to the greater Rockford area from Colombia in 1984. In 1991 we opened Saavedra Gehlhausen Architects in Rockford. I reside in Roscoe with my wife Diana and our daughter Alexandra.

Quote: In order to be one of the top 10 cities in the U.S., we must foster transparency, respect and trustworthiness in all aspects of our community. We still have many entities in this community that intentionally do not foster these values. As residents of the greater Rockford area, we must take ownership of our community and stand against any individual or entity that does not foster these values. Integrity at all levels is perhaps the most important asset we can use to place our region as one of the five most desirable areas in the country. Integrity is an asset that needs to be expressed and fostered by all citizens, elected officials and elected board members of the community.

What’s new at Transform Rockford: Transform Rockford is at the Vision Drafting stage in which we are taking every comment, idea and solution provided by the community and developing a path that shows the potential vision of how to become a great area. This vision will directly impact our community’s social, economic, and environmental status to the level required to become a great community.

What’s next: Please plan to attend the TR Community Visioning Rally at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9, at the Coronado Theater.